Drop the chalupa

Seems like some major corporations have been spying on environmental groups.

One can only imagine, if we ever get out of Iraq, that Blackwater and KBR will be looking for work along these fascist lines.

The bard of Barking's playlist

On vacation, one gets to the Sunday Times on Thursday afternoon.

And finds Billy Bragg's playlist in Arts and Leisure.

Sanibel 7:35 a.m.

A bill to allow gun owners to pack heat at work went to the governor's desk here in Florida today.

Usually, my feelings about this state are best expressed by Vic Chestnutt, except when I'm on this island.

Warm breezes, long beaches, key lime pie, margaritas, bike rides and gliding dolphins. And at least on this side of the causeway, not a single Walmart in sight.

A model for our own 90th birthdays

(Courant photo)

A Courant profile on Miriam Butterworth on her 90th reminds us all that maybe we still aren't doing enough.

I'm also thrilled to learn that one of my childhood favorites, The Enormous Egg, by Butterworth's husband Oliver was a fable about McCarthyism.

H/T to Susan Forbes Hansen, again.

You know it's bad when lawyers think one of their own is giving them a bad name

Yes, John, they're talking about Yoo.

The idiots speak, the targets shift

George Bush proved himself ever a re-setter of the goal posts as he readies the dowry of an immoral war for the next president. Claiming that we are on the right track and making measurable progress, he refuses to allow any more significant troop withdrawals despite earlier promises.

His pathetic strategy is being echoed by Johm McCain in his stump speeches and on Sunday, Frank Rich pulled the argument for war apart like the carefully folded and re-folded hideous origami it is.

The musicians who will put Northampton on the map

The next big thing returns to Middletown

MGMT returns to the scene of the crime on Wednesday. No hope that you're getting in unless you're a Wes student.

Mike Gravel was there today, and I was not.

Petraeus as President

Not Petraeus for president. Brent Budowsky makes the case that Petraeus acts with the authority of a commander-in-chief as congress postures and preens and does absolutely nothing at all.

In testimony today Petraeus said both that progress in Iraq is significant and that the condition is so fragile that future troop withdrawals be put off for at least 75 days.

Meanwhile bellicose cheerleaders Lindsey Graham and Creepy Joe™ Lieberman worked diligently to conflate Iran, Iraq and a militant Islamist threat against the US.

And the endless war goes on endlessly.

The one thing the founding fathers should have considered more carefully

Thanks to Susan Forbes Hansen for feeding me good material while I'm on vacation this week.

Postings will likely be sparser this week as a result of the nice weather on Sanibel.